Estate Agent’s poetry challenge for healthcare heroes

19 May 2020

With her best friend working at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Jessica felt compelled to support healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic As an avid writer of poetry, she decided to use her passion to help people express themselves during these difficult times - and to raise vital funds for our emergency COVID-19 appeal.

Jessica was inspired to write poetry as a young girl by her godfather. But as she got older, she didn’t always have the time she’d like to dedicate to her favourite pastime. As an estate agent, and with the housing market on pause due to lockdown, she decided to use her extra time to introduce new people to her passion - as well as to raise money for our COVID-19 appeal.

Jessica is asking friends and family to write a poem and share it with her on the Poetry for Heroes Instagram page. Each participant is then asked to nominate a friend and donate £5 to our emergency COVID-19 appeal. So far, Jessica has received a mix of poetry, from haikus to long streams of consciousness, as well as both rhyming and non-rhyming poems. Even her brother, who prides himself on never reading a book, has taken part – and enjoyed the experience!

Jessica felt compelled to support our emergency COVID-19 appeal as her friend is working at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and has seen how the hospital has adapted to this emergency and the impact it’s had on staff there.

Jessica works for the estate agents Knight Frank who kindly took the opportunity to promote the challenge on their social media channels. Jessica and her colleague James held an Instagram Live, where Jessica set a challenge to all parents and children watching to write a poem during lockdown and donate to our appeal. The best five poems will be selected and shared on Knight Frank’s Instagram page and on a blog on the Knight Frank website. The challenge lasts until midnight on Wednesday 20th May and winners will be picked on Thursday 21st May.

Jessica says “My best friend was working at Barts and listening to her describe the challenges of responding to COVID-19 I felt quite helpless to be honest! I wanted to be able to do something to help whilst staying at home. I have always loved poetry – I find it extremely therapeutic and a good way of ordering my thoughts. I thought if we can raise money, help muddle through some lockdown thoughts and introduce poetry to some new people it would be very worthwhile.”

So far Jessica has managed to raise over £500 and hopes to raise lots more through the challenge.

Thanks so much Jessica!

If you have been inspired to fundraise for our NHS, please contact us or set up a fundraising page here.

Our COVID-19 Emergency Appeal is helping us provide urgent funds for staff who are working tirelessly across Barts Health NHS Trust. Donations are being used in many ways across our hospitals - from 3D-printed visors to protect front line staff, to iPads for isolated patients to speak with their loved ones.